Boob Scoop: When it comes to pumping, the number of sessions is more important than the duration of the session. Therefore, if you can only spare 30 minutes of your workday for pumping, dividing that time into 3 pumping sessions does a better job at maintaining your milk supply than one session of 30 minutes. The more frequent stimulation, informs your body that your baby is feeding 3 times instead of 1 and therefore keeps milk production steady by meeting one of the golden rules of breastfeeding --Milk supply is driven by demand.
Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)
Although it may be tempting to extend a pumping session to produce more milk, it is more important to focus on the number of times you pump instead of the duration of the pumping session. Since milk production is primarily dependent on demand, the number of pumping sessions plays a greater role in milk production and supply than the length of each pump. (The recommended amount of time for a pumping session is 10-15 minutes, however some moms may stop before 10 minutes if they have drained their breasts before then). This tip is especially helpful for mothers who pump at work or who choose to exclusively pump, since a key to maintaining milk production is making sure the breasts are drained enough times during a 24-hour period. Contributed by Sharen Medrano, IBCLC (www.nycbreastfeeding.com)
Boob Scoop: It's not necessary for you to pump at the exact times your baby is feeding at daycare. However, it is recommended that you stimulate and drain your breasts the same number of times as your baby feeds. Pumping both breasts at the same time increases pumping output and decreases pumping time. On average, women double pump for about 10-15 minutes per pumping session. If you find that you can get most of your output before that time-frame, that's fine too!
Elina leads a weekly breastfeeding support group at the Yummy Mummy Store in NYC every Tuesday at 10am.
If your baby has been nursing exclusively and gaining weight well and you are feeling ready for a break here and there after 3-4 weeks of exclusive breastfeeding it is safe to begin giving your baby 1 bottle every or every other day without it impacting the baby's ability to breastfeed.
The best way to do this is either one of the following ways:
